Why Cloth Diapers are Great

We used disposable diapers with Raina and I hated them.  I have exceedingly dry hands, especially in the winter, and the dryness and the super-absorbency of the diapers ripped any remaining moisture out of my skin.  Literally, pieces of my skin caught on the diapers and then shredded off.  Add in diaper rash (which is more common with disposables) and the consequent diaper cream (which required fervent hand-washing to remove it), the environmental impact, the large expense, the smell, the desperate last-minute trips to Target to get more diapers ... and disposables end up with a C- grade.  Passing. but just barely.

We use Bum Genius cloth diapers with Lola.  They're garguantan in size (her 12 month pants barely fit) and require more effort (i.e., the washing, drying, and re-stuffing) but have great rewards.  Lola rarely has diaper rash, the cloth diapers and wipes are kinder to her skin (and mine), the cost is finite (and based on Lola's diaper usage as a baby, are already paid for and then some), and we're generating less trash.  The environmentalist in me rejoices that our five person family generates one bag of trash per week. 

We had forgotten one of the other great benefits of cloth diapers, until today:  Cloth diapers catch and hold poop so much better than disposables.  Raina had blow-outs all the time when she was younger; her diapers just didn't stop the poop and it travelled up her back and down her legs and required new outfits and baths to clean her up.  Yuck.  We have never had a blow-out with Lola in cloth diapers.  That's a godsend.

Today, Eric decided to put her in a disposable diaper for the hour between waking up and going to daycare.  She frequently has a bowel movement then and, in his words, "I thought it would be so much easier to just throw the dirty diaper away, rather than running it through the wash.  MISTAKE!" 

Lola's diaper contained hardly any of the poop.  Feces slid down her pants legs and onto her feet, and she pressed it into the (not white anymore) carpet as she ran around the living room.  Thankfully, Samantha noticed the leakage and so Lola's carpet damage was limited to one room.  I just never expected to see piles of poo in my house, like a little animal left scat for us to track.  Ugh. 

Lola's butt is back in cloth diapers.  We're not trusting disposables again!

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